LIHU‘E — More than 100 walkers raised more than $13,000 to help with the battle against Alzheimer’s disease during the annual Memory Walk, Saturday at Kukui Grove Center. Tim Taravella, director of development for the Alzheimer’s Association of Hawai‘i, said
LIHU‘E — More than 100 walkers raised more than $13,000 to help with the battle against Alzheimer’s disease during the annual Memory Walk, Saturday at Kukui Grove Center.
Tim Taravella, director of development for the Alzheimer’s Association of Hawai‘i, said there were several groups who helped contribute to the total amount raised.
One group of more than 100 walkers was guided through the course by sign wavers from the Key Club of Kaua‘i High School.
The Interact Club from Kapa‘a High School stood by to offer breakfast to the finishers, who came from all walks of life.
“This is our first time and we raised more than $900 using the online system,” said a representative of the Kaua‘i Community College Nursing Department, which had some of its first- and second-year students walking.
The county Office of Elderly Affairs earlier hosted a garage sale and raised more than $2,000 for the cause.
Alzheimer’s Disease International released its 2010 World Alzheimer Report, noting the soaring cost of dementia and the need for action by policy-makers and governments across the globe, states the Alzheimer’s Association website.
“We will continue to provide resources where we can to help with this disease,” said Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. in addressing the group. “Today, we take time to remember, reflect and enjoy.”
Umberto Blanco, representing the Alzheimer’s Association of Hawai‘i’s Kaua‘i Office, said the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s is increasing. His primary concern is to try to connect caregivers with the wide range of resources available to help cope with the disease.
“There is disconnect with the people involved in caring for those with Alzheimer’s,” Blanco said. “The amount of care is so involved and caregivers have a lot of stress, they don’t have the time to stop and realize that there is help out there.”
According to the Alzheimer’s Association website, Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder named for German physician Alois Alzheimer who first described the disease in 1906.
It is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual disabilities serious enough to interfere with daily life.
Alzheimer’s accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia causes and is a progressive and fatal brain disease.
The organization estimates as many as 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
Volunteer Hawai‘i, a service provided by the United Ways in Hawai‘i, states that the Alzheimer’s Association is the premiere source of information and support services for the 28,000 people in Hawai‘i living with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia and their families.
At an international conference on Alzheimer’s in July in Honolulu, the Alzheimer’s Association estimates that by 2050, the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s could triple, states an article at the examiner.com.
Hawai‘i, having one of the lowest Alzheimer’s rates in the country, had an increase of 17 percent since 2000, the article states.
Sandra Tedder was the coordinator for the Memory Walk on the mall, and Chip Rebb continued as the Memory Walk ambassador.
Visit www.alz.org for more information on Alzheimer’s Disease.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
